Summary
Former director Bhaskar Ramamurthi gets lifetime achievement award
The institute released an EML Yearbook containing activities of the previous year and personalised messages of acclaimed speakers
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras observed its 63rd Institute Day on April 26 to celebrate the various milestones achieved by the institution in the past six decades.
IIT Madras topped the latest National Institutional Rankings Framework (NIRF) of the Union ministry of education in 2021. The institute was ranked 1 in overall category for three consecutive years and in engineering category for six consecutive years from 2016 to 2021 in the rankings. In the recently added category for research institutions in 2021, IIT Madras was ranked second in the country.
The Institute was also adjudged the ‘Top Innovative Institution’ in the country in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovative Achievements (ARIIA) in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
N Lakshmi Narayanan, former vice-chairman of Cognizant Technologies, who attended the Institute Day celebrations as the chief guest, said, “IIT Madras has created innovative platforms like NPTEL that are benefiting the community. The Institute has also pioneered upskilling of virtual education and has introduced a virtual BSc degree programme in Programming and Data Science. The IIT Madras Research Park is also doing exceptional work in fostering an innovative ecosystem. So, it is a matter of great pride for me to be part of the Institution Day Celebrations of IIT Madras.”
Narayanan also conferred Institute Research and Development Awards on junior-level and mid-career faculty members. He presented a lifetime achievement award to Bhaskar Ramamurthi, the former director of IIT Madras and a professor in its Department of Electrical Engineering.
During Ramamurthi’s tenure as the director of IIT Madras, the institution topped several national-level rankings. Under his leadership, IIT Madras was also selected as an ‘Institution of Eminence’ in 2019.
IIT Madras director V Kamakoti said, “The IIT Madras alumni have supported the institute tremendously. I thank everyone who has been responsible for this growth.”
During the occasion, the institution recognised the achievements of students and faculty members who have excelled in their endeavours. The Institute Day is also an occasion when distinguished alumni in academia and industry are honoured for their achievements with Distinguished Alumnus Awards (DAA).
The names of 22 alumni, who were selected for DAAs for 2020 and 2021, were announced. Among them, five alumni attended the Institute Day in person and received their awards during the event. The alumni who received the awards in person are Mridula Nair, a research fellow and a distinguished inventor and product leader of Eastman Kodak Company, USA; Mahesh Wagle, the founder and director of Cybernetik Technologies Private Limited, India; Girija Vaidyanathan, retired chief secretary of Tamil Nadu; Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, the CTO of Energy and Mobility, Microsoft R&D India and Azure Global, India; and Vijay B Shenoy, an associate professor at the Center for Condensed Matter of the Indian Institute of Science.
Extra Mural Lecture (EML) Yearbook, a book containing activities of the previous year and the personalised messages of distinguished speakers, was also released by the dignitaries. The entire event was live streamed on the Institute's website.
Last updated on 27 Apr 2022
